Tag Archives: recommendations

Jul21

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hello everyone and happy weekend to all of you! As we all know by now, Lil Red is a nail girl and I would be nothing without my beloved talon acrylics. I think this deep love for being pampered in terms of my nails comes from my beautiful grandma, because I can always remember how much she enjoyed having her nails painted with lovely shades of seashell pinks.

I am lucky enough to be pampered every four to five weeks or so when I get my nails filled. My mom, on the other hand, doesn’t get to enjoy the luxury of a manicure, because with the intense medical treatment that she’s under, she wants to avoid any more chemicals on her body than need be. This is perfectly understandable, of course!

But, this doesn’t mean that sweet JANE doesn’t want her nails looking as nice as possible, so I decided to treat her to a fabulous cuticle treatment by Londontown. Londontown is an amazing nail and hand care brand that is dedicated to strengthening nails and nourishing hands in the most natural way possible. Their products use a variety of different oils and essential vitamins to show your phalanges some love, and I knew that it would be the perfect surprise to give to my mom. Take a look:

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^^^ In order, you can see my mom’s nails without treatment, with the treatment on, and after the treatment was finished.

Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment worked wonders on my mom, and she has now deemed herself “obsessed” with it. We had a blast playing beauty shop together as I applied the product and we watched as it worked its magic. Our first impression of the treatment was its scent. It smelled herbal and sweet without being overly pungent or perfumey. This was so nice, because that’s actually one of my mom’s favorite scent styles and it made us eager to apply it and see if it works as good as it smells!

Before using Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment, my mom’s cuticles were really dry and brittle. They looked so ready to be removed, and I was really hoping that this product would be as good as anticipated, because if anyone deserves to be pampered – it’s my mother. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to wait long to see if this treatment was the one for her, because almost instantly upon application, she could feel it moisturizing the problem areas on her nails.

Not only was the treatment so nourishing, but its consistency did so in a non-greasy manner, which is so important to both of us when it comes to our beauty products. Its texture was not thick but, rather, quite thin and it stayed on the nail well without running onto the towel under my mom’s hands. #wastenotwantnot

After the Nourishing Cuticle oil was on my mom’s nails for a few minutes, she pushed her cuticles back, removed them as best as she could, and then I applied some more treatment. Neither of us are nail experts, by and means, but in just one use her nails looked so much better. My mom said that she felt so spoiled to be using the treatment and it made her nails look pretty without polish, which was the goal all along. ❤

Be sure to tune in next week to see my new acrylics featuring some gorgeous nail polish shades by Londontown!

How do you pamper your hands and nails? How do you create a spa night in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: I can’t make this up. As I write this, my mom literally walked down the stairs while rubbing in the cuticle treatment and goes “Sarah, I’m addicted to this. I just feel like my nails look better”. So it definitely has the Sarah & Jane Seal Of Approval! Thanks, Londontown!

Jul17

Face Mask Festivities: Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Until I acquire more face masks, this will be the last Face Mask Festivities post on lifewithlilred for a while. But, it has been a hoot trying out four different masks and I’m looking forward to trying out some of the ones that my wonderful readers have recommended next! To wrap things up, we are going to talk about Freeman’s Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask, so take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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I am a huge fan of all things avocado and oatmeal when it comes to skin care, and it was nice to use a mask with those ingredients that wasn’t a massive disappointment like the one I tested from CVS in May. This clay mask by Freeman really was just right and it left my skin feeling completely cleansed without being starved for moisture.

I love the way that this avocado and oatmeal mask smells, for starters. It doesn’t have the scent of either of its main ingredients but, rather, smells oh so creamy and rich. The lush, heavy cream aroma went hand in hand with the texture of the mask. It was thick without being too thick and spread perfectly during application.

The best part about this mask, however, was the fact that when it dried, it didn’t leave my skin feeling as dry as the desert along with it. It was easy to wash off and, after applying my moisturizing routine, my skin felt amazing. It had a vaguely cool feeling to it and my pores felt like they were taking a huge sigh of happiness. I would definitely recommend this mask for what it is – a simple product done exceedingly well. 10/10 would use again!

What are your favorite ingredients when it comes to face masks? How do you care for you skin after you wash your mask off? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul12

Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Charcoal + Black Sugar Gel Mask & Scrub Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Charcoal + Black Sugar Gel Mask & Scrub Edition

Hello darlings and welcome to a riveting new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing another Freeman mask, which consisted of charcoal and black sugar. We all know that I love all charcoal everything, so this gel mask was an obvious hit for me! Take a look and let’s get to it:

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^^^ Peep that freshly dyed hair! 😀

In my humble opinion, charcoal products have been the most major game changer since Vitamin C skin care. It detoxifies, it cleanses, and it leaves the skin simply glowing after all of the gunk that’s been clogging your pores has been rinsed away. And, of course, this Freeman mask did all of that, which left for a really satisfying face mask experience.

The best part about this mask is the texture, because it isn’t your standard clay mask. This Freeman gel mask is a sugar scrub, too, so you got to exfoliate your skin while you were washing it off. And, speaking of texture, this mask literally never over dries. I had my mask on for the entire forty minutes that my hair dye was setting and it stayed the same consistency as when I first applied it until I washed it off. So amazing!

After giving my face a good scrub when rinsing my mask off, my skin felt so good. This Freeman mask gave my face such a deep clean and it was nothing short of invigorating. My pores feel like they can breathe, my blackheads are gone, and I would happily use this mask again.

Who else is a charcoal product fan? How do you keep pesky blackheads at bay? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun25

O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm Review

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O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm Review

Howdy! So, normally, I’m not a huge lip balm kind of gal. I’m notorious for licking it off my lips if it tastes good, I hate the little white flecks that form on your mouth after wearing it for a while, and sometimes my lips feel even dryer after applying the LIP CHAP in the first place. But, then I tried this here O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm and my opinion changed drastically. Check it out:

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Weirdly enough, this lip balm was given to me FO FREE at the Cleveland Zoo when I went last week. It was so random, but I’m glad for it, because I can’t get enough of this stuff. Why, you might ask? Because…

  1. It’s unscented, so I’m not eating chapstick all day because it smells so good. There is probably so much Lip Smackers in my belly from my childhood!
  2. I’ve applied this product several times since I got it, and I haven’t had one single white fleck problem on my mouth.
  3. The texture is thick (But not too thick!), and my lips feel hydrated after using it as opposed to thirsting for another application.
  4. Because this balm is so rich, it leaves your lips with a gorgeous creamy color instead of anything too glossy or sticky.

I’m not one to gab about lip balm, but I really am gaga over this one and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. You won’t be disappointed!

What is your favorite brand of lip balm? Have you used any O’Keeffe products before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May25

May 2018 Finishes

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May 2018 Finishes

Hello everyone and TGIF! If you can believe it, another month is almost done here on lifewithlilred! And guess what that means – IT’S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY! I will be turning 24 on June 7th, so do be sure to mark it in your calendars! 😉 But I digress, so let’s get on to viewing this month’s finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Le Petit Marseiliais White Peach & Nectarine shower gel: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • The Body Shop Satsuma scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Oils Of Life serum: YES
  • Tarte Amazonian Clay blush: YES

Why/Why Not?

LPM Shower Gel: This shower gel and brand in general is awesome. The White Peach & Nectarine scent was so invigorating every morning and, although this was a gel and not a creme, I was still left feeling moisturized after my shower. I finished this body wash in about two and a half months and I am looking forward to using the two other scents that I have by Le Petit Marseiliais soon!

Simple Micellar Water: Even though I am not a huge fan of micellar water, it is way cheaper than eye makeup remover so I am okay with it! I can’t say much for the Simple brand, because I don’t really like it. BUT, I just purchased a bottle of Garnier cleansing water, so we’ll see if I like that kind better. It took me close to two months to finish this bottle.

TBS Scrub: The scrubs from The Body Shop are a must for me when I am shaving and the Satsuma scent is always amazing! I got this as part of a Christmas gift and I got about seven uses out of one of the mini sized bottles.

TBS Moisturizer: I LOVED the Vitamin C moisturizer from The Body Shop. It lasted me two months, it sat well under makeup, and my skin felt nice and hydrated after each use. I would definitely use this again and I hope that they have it back at TJMaxx soon! 😀

TBS Serum: And, of course, I loved the Oils Of Life Serum from The Body Shop, too. One bottle lasted me for five and a half months of daily use, it sat well under makeup, AND MY SKIN FELT NICE AND HYDRATED AFTER EACH USE!!!!!! I am lucky, because I have one more bottle of this and I know that it will last me for close to another half a year!

Tarte Blush: Normally, I don’t write about makeup finishes, but this Tarte blush is different. I got it for my Sephora birthday freebie last June and I JUST FINISHED IT last week. This was my most used blush for the year. The color was gorgeous and I wish that it wasn’t just a one time birthday color. 😥

May brought me a lot more finishes than normal and it was fun being able to use up all of them – especially since I enjoyed each product so much!

Have you used any of the products seen above? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar27

March 2018 Finishes

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March 2018 Finishes

Howdy! I can’t believe that another month is drawing to a close already. 2018 is flying by, and with that, brings my empties post for March! Take a look at my monthly finishes and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Suave Sweet Pea & Violet body wash: YES
  • Dickinson’s Witch Hazel: YES
  • The Body Shop Nutriganics eye cream: YES
  • Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

Suave Body Wash: I love the Suave shower gels. They lather well, they always smell great, and they are long lasting. It took me over two months to finish my Sweet Pea & Violet body wash and it was most enjoyable. It’s a floral scent, but it’s not so overpowering that you smell like a flower field all day. It’s actually quite energizing, which is great for the days that you don’t feel like waking up!

Dickinson’s Witch Hazel: I use witch hazel as a toner, a piercing cleaner, and a makeup remover when I am making little edits to my makeup look. Witch hazel is cheap, but effective and it works diligently to tighten my pores and give the areas around my piercings a deep clean. Dickinson’s is the only brand that I trust, and it took me about four months to finish this bottle.

TBS Eye Cream: We all know by now that The Body Shop’s Nutriganics eye cream is my go to for preventing fine lines and wrinkles around my peepers. It takes me a solid half a year to finish this tiny bottle of cream. You can’t beat that!

Clinique Moisturizer: I got to sample Clinique’s Moisture Surge moisturizer for free thanks to a recent Sephora purchase. If I wasn’t so gung-ho about buying moisturizers for cheap at TJMaxx, I would definitely purchase this Clinique product. It is a gel moisturizer, which is my favorite, and a little dollop went a long way in eliminating dry winter skin. Loved it.

March was definitely a successful month for finishes, and I would happily use each product that I completed again. Now, if only I could get my hands on that Clinique moisturizer for a bargain price!

Which products have you finished up this month? How do you beat dry skin during the colder months? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar14

Highlighter Help!!

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Highlighter Help!!

Helloooo! During a recent Sephora purchase for my sister’s upcoming birthday, I decided to spend some of my rewards points on a Becca highlighter in Opal. The only problem is… I don’t know what to do with it! I liked the idea of trying a highlighter on for size and I love the color so I figured “why not”. Take a looksee:

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(First swatch photo is with no flash, the second one is with the flash on.)

I was hoping that my beauty blogger babes could help me out by directing me to their posts on applying highlighter as well as completed MOTDs featuring a highlighter. I definitely don’t want to overdo it with my new Becca Opal highlighter, but a little extra something something might be nice to try out – especially when it was free!

So, beauty bloggers, now is your time to toot your own horn a little and link me to your best highlighter related makeup posts. Thanks in advance!

What is the best freebie that you have scored from Sephora? Are you a highlighter fan or no? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov30

Face Mask Festivities: The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Sleeping Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Sleeping Mask Edition

Hi everyone and Happy Thursday! Today, we’re going to talk about The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Sleeping Mask. Out of all of the wonderful skin care lines that The Body Shop offers, Vitamin E is definitely my favorite. I love the rich, creamy texture, the rich, creamy smell, and the peaches and cream perfection effect that it has on my skin. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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In the picture above, I had just put on the Vitamin E mask after using the British Rose mask that we chatted about yesterday. My skin felt very tight and dry after using the British Rose mask and the Vitamin E one took care of that in an instant. Within just a few minutes, the rosiness in my cheeks was gone and my skin felt supple and hydrated. Thank gawd, because nothing is worse than dry skin during the winter!

In the intro paragraph, I mentioned how much I love the smell of all of the Vitamin E products and that rings so true with this mask. As soon as you open the jar, it smells like opening a fresh carton of heavy cream and it’s so lush and dreamy. The pillowy soft texture is also another lovely added bonus. As soon as this mask hits the skin, it sinks in and provides instant moisturizing protection. Talk about a tall drink of water for your face!

I always love going to bed with this mask on, because I know that when I wake up my skin will be picture perfect and so soft to the touch. The six dollar price tag from TJMaxx also doesn’t hurt when you want gorgeous skin but are ballin on a budget! I highly recommend this mask and am looking forward to many more uses of it.

So there you have it, another issue of Face Mask Festivities: The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Sleeping Mask Edition! What is your favorite skin care line from The Body Shop? What are your thoughts on this mask if you have used it before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug28

August 2017 Finishes

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August 2017 Finishes

Hi everyone and welcome to my August empties! Today, we have quite a few skin care and bath and body products, as well as a mascara to discuss, so let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Softsoap Juicy Pomegranate & Mango Infusions body wash: YES
  • Bath & Body Works Mango Mandarin body spray: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: MAYBE
  • Bath & Body Works Pretty As A Peach lotion: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES
  • Lancome Monsieur Big mascara: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

Softsoap Body Wash: I would absolutely use this industrial sized body wash again. It lathered well, smelled amazing, and was great for bubble baths. Not only that, but the value was excellent, as it took me three months to go through it. I think that Softsoap shower gels are underrated and I always really enjoy using their products, so more for me, I guess!

B&BW Body Spray: You guys know that I love me my Bath & Body Works! Whenever B&BW has their summer sale, I always stock up on my Country Apple and Mango Mandarin body sprays because you can’t beat three bucks a pop for five months of use! I like layering this scent with my Satsuma body spray from The Body Shop for a longer lasting fragrance. The Mango Mandarin scent was perfect for the summer time, but now it’s all about the Country Apple with fall coming in hot.

Simple Cleansing Water: I feel very meh about Micellar Cleansing Water. I genuinely don’t understand what the big deal about it is, so it just makes using it kind of disappointing. It took me a month of daily use to finish this product and I can’t say that I noticed any differences in my skin or even remotely enjoyed using it, for that matter. I labeled this product as a “maybe” for using again because it acts as a pretty good makeup remover, but that’s about it. Whomp whomp. -___-

B&BW Lotion: Anyone who is a true lifewithlilred fan will know that my two favorite scents are anything apple or peach. With that in mind, of course I would use this lotion again! I got this product as one of my B&BW freebies so it didn’t cost me a penny and I got about six full body uses out of it. I love the sweet and fresh scent of this lotion and it left my skin feeling creamy and hydrated. The Ultra Shea ingredients for Pretty As A Peach were no joke, and my body felt like peaches and cream perfection after a nice, long bubble bath. Freaking love!

TBS Moisturizer: You guys know the drill for this product already. It took me a month to finish, I would use it again, blah, blah, blah.

Lancome Mascara: I got the sample size of Lancome’s Monsieur Big mascara from Ulta for my birthday and I really liked using it. It took me a little over a month to finish up the tube, which I would say is pretty good for a sample size. I thought that the length and volume that it gave my eyelashes was excellent, but I do wish that it would have been more black in color so that’s where points get taken off, for me. Regardless, if given the opportunity to use this mascara again, I would, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it.

All in all, August was a really successful month for finishes. I got to use up a lot of products that were taking me forever to complete, and I got to start some goodies that I’ve been looking forward to using because of that. Here’s to more amazing empties in September!

So there you have it, my August 2017 Finishes! What products did you finish up this month? Has anyone used any of my empties before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug13

Face Mask Festivities: The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to the final post in my Face Mask Festivities mini series! Today, we’re going to discuss one of my all time favorite masks – The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat. This mask literally smells good enough to eat and it leaves your skin looking peaches and cream perfection. What’s not to love? Take a looksee and let’s talk more:

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When I think of face masks, The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat is the first thing that comes to mind. This mask is my favorite because it’s so gentle. This is a bit contradictory because I usually tend to go for the more rough masks and exfoliaters because I like to feel it really working. But, I don’t know, when I think face masks I’m thinking about being at a spa and relaxing and the creamy texture of this mask just takes me there.

Not only does this mask feel amazing with its whipped consistency mixed with sudsy oats but the smell is simply to die for. You need only open the lid to catch a whiff of freshly made oatmeal combined with cream and a heaping dollop of honey. It really takes everything in my power to not take a finger full and give it a try. So imagine having to sit with this mask on for ten whole minutes when all you want to do is eat it! IT HURTS SO GOOD.

The best part about The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat mask, though? 1) It is SO easy to wash off. There are some masks that you really have to scrub to get off, but not this one. This mask seems to completely melt away as soon as warm water hits it, which makes for an even more lush experience since you don’t have to claw at your skin to get it off. And 2) Because of said easiness to wash off and the creamy texture of the mask, you’re left with a clean tub, instead of one that’s coated with mask residue. I’ll take it!

Doing this mini series was a lot of fun and, in my opinion, I saved the best for last. I do like the Lush and Charcoal mask from The Body Shop that I featured earlier in the week. However, the game changer with the Honey & Oat mask is the way your face feels after using it. When I washed this mask off, my skin felt nourished. It felt supple and soft rather than tight and dehydrated. The glow that radiated from me was from a mask that worked on my skin from the inside, rather than scrubbing at the surface to remove imperfections. This mask made me feel beautiful and it made me feel like I cared for myself while using it, and you really can’t beat that!

So there you have it, the finale to my Face Mask Festivities mini series with The Body Shop’s Honey & Oat mask! Out of the three masks that I wrote about, which one would you like to try? What do you look for in a face mask? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah